Hello,

Second semester has begun with a flurry of activity throughout the school. Students are busily adapting to new schedules and Student Services has been busy addressing timetable concerns  with all students. While very busy, things have rolled out very nicely and most students are comfortably settled into their new surroundings.

Meet the Teacher Semester 2…Want to meet your child’s second semester teachers? As we did last year, Bell HS is proud to offer you that opportunity on Tuesday February 7, 2012beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the cafetorium. Following a few quick introductions classroom visits will begin at 4:15 p.m. and provide you with the opportunity to review course outlines and peruse curriculum materials in classes. Please note that many other activities are also going on for some teachers such as coaching. In such cases, some teachers will not be available but will be leaving a sign-up sheet outside their classroom for you to request a phonecall or email. Please join us on this evening as we begin our journey together toward June.

Ontario Secondary School Literact Test (OSSLT) is a mandatory graduation requirement for all students currently studying in their grade 10 year. As part of our school improvement plan, students in grade 9 and 10 classrooms have been exposed to a minimum of three OSSLT tasks in each of their classes to better prepare them for the test itself. These tasks are identical in every way to the tasks students will be required to complete on the test itself. This year’s test in being held on Thursday March 29, 2012.

As we embark on semester two we will continue to provide students with information about the test and prepare them thoroughly. If you are interested in previewing the tasks required of students on the test including samples from past OSSLT tests, please visit the Ministry website at http://www.eqao.com/Parents/Secondary/10/10.aspx.

Community Service Hours Update for Potential Graduates…My most recent potential graduate list contains 192 students. Of these, 75 have yet to complete their mandatory 40 hours of community service. It is critical to note that students unsuccessful in meeting this graduation requirement will not cross the commencement stage nor receive their Ontario Secondary School Diploma in June if nothing changes.

How can you verify how many hours your child has completed? Potential graduates missing hours will be informed by a brightly coloured sticker placed directly on their report card coming home Tuesday February 14, 2012. Parents, please be sure to review your child’s report card with them. Where stickers are present I would suggest following up with your child’s guidance counselor for a conversation. In addition and attached to the end of semester report card coming home Tuesday February 14, 2012 at the end of the day is a credit counseling summary showing all credits earned to date as well as the number of community service hours currently on file in our database that your child has completed.

A reminder that Friday February 17, 2012 is a board-wide Professional Development day. There will be no classes that day. In addition, Monday February 20, 2012 is Family Day and once again there are no classes. Classes will resume on Tuesday February 21, 2012.

Bell This Week

For your planning, please find attached this weeks version of BTW.

attachment:

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Due to inclement weather this past Friday, Friday exams will be written today and Monday exams tomorrow (Tuesday). Semester 2 still begins Wednesday February 1, 2012.

School Council meets tonight in the staff lounge beginning at 7:00 p.m. All parents are welcome!

For your planning, please find attached this weeks edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: 12-01-30 Bell this Week

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Exams

Exams begin this coming Wednesday January 25, 2012. As was done last year, exams will be written in the same classrooms students had their courses all year and on the same day. What this means is that period 1 exams will be written on Wednesday, period 2 on Thursday, period 3 on Friday, and period 4 next Monday January 30,2o12. ALL exams begin @ 9:30 a.m. in the morning and no students will be writing more than one exam in a day. ALL students will have time and one-half to complete their exams in the spirit of eliminating time as a barrier, especially for students who find this time very anxiety ridden.

A gentle reminder that semester 2 classes start on Wednesday February 1, 2012.

School Council

Our next school council meeting will take place on Monday January 30, 2012. The meeting will begin @ 7:00 p.m. in the staff lounge and all parents are invited to attend.

Fire Alarms @ Bell

Bell HS staff and students worked very nicely through two fire alarms this past week. There was no active fire in either instance nor were pullstations pulled by students or staff. The source of the alarms were mechanical in nature which has been addressed by District personnel. In each case it was very cold outside and in such instances students are evacuated to Bell Arena and portables. Each alarm lasted for approximately 15 minutes from start to finish. In cases where students were writing summatives, accommodations were made for those requiring extra time through classroom teachers.

BTW

Please find attached this week’s edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: 12_01_23 Bell this Week

Have an awesome week!

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Thanks to everyone who partook in our annual Open House this past Wednesday night. Three hundred parents and students attended and we are hoping you found what you were looking for in our presentation and displays.

Congratulations to Passport draw winner Evan Holland. You may pick up your prize from Mrs. Cathy Seguin in the main office as early as Monday January 16, 2012 and anytime thereafter. Thanks for playing!

For your planning purposes, please see this weeks edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: 12_01_16 Bell this Week.doc

Have an awesome week.

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Kudos again this year to Mr. Stanutz and Mrs. Ward for their wonderful Christmas Concert last week @ Bell HS. In excess of 250 guests took in the festivities that featured outstanding musical performances by each of Bell’s choirs and bands. Full complements of each boast 80 participants; what a sight it was! Thanks to each of these very special people who devote so much time to the Fine Arts program @ Bell HS!

I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a very safe and happy holiday season. It has been an exciting semester to date and while hard to believe it is almost over, please know what an honour it is to work with you as partners in educating your children, our leaders of tomorrow.

Please see attached this weeks edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: 11_12_19 Bell this Week.doc

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Bell HS Musical – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat

Congratualtions to Mr. Perry Van Allen and his entire cast and crew for their wonderful Musical this year, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Mr. Van Allen and his students have just completed four fine evenings of performances in a production that will be talked about for many weeks to come. Once again Bell HS and its students and staff have stepped well forward in presenting a musical filled with song, dance, and humour. Mr. Stanutz and his “pit band” also outdid themselves in each and every number where students played to perfection without a missed step. Audiences for the presentations averaged 300 per evening and I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to attend. Warmest thoughts are also extended to those staff who helped out behind the scenes including Ms. Jennifer Ellis, Ms. Julia Lockie, Mr. Mike Murphy, Ms. Lorna Bradley, Ms. Amanda Watson, and Ms. Rachel Pernica. Finally, the technical crew led by none other than Jeff Mogadhem also outdid themselves in perfectly carrying out their duties and contributing to these memorable performances.

January 2012 Exams

With just two weeks left until the Christmas Holidays it is timely that we turn our attention to exams. These summative tasks will take place as outline below. It is very important to note that in support of all students there is no flexibility with these mandatory tasks; alternate write times are not possible. Family holidays and/or excursions as well as community sporting events such as tournaments must be planned outside of the dates listed below.

Exams at Bell HS this year will begin on Wednesday January 25, 2011 and end on Tuesday January 31, 2011. Again this year, students are going to be writing their exams in the same order in which they attend their regular classes (period 1, 2, 3 & 4) on a day 1 as follows:

Wednesday January 25 – period 1 exams

Thursday January 26 - period 2 exams

Friday January 27 - period 3 exams

Monday January 30 - period 4 exams

Tuesday January 31 -  Credit Rescue (9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.); Rewrites where students have missed exams for medical reasons.

All exams begin promptly @ 9:30 a.m. While exams are written for students to comfortably complete well within their allotted time limit (1.5 hours; 2 hours), all students will be provided with time and one-half (2.25 hours;3 hours) as per District policy and procedure to eliminate time as a potential barrier for students. Students with IEP’s and accommodations as such will be offered smaller group settings provided they took advantage of this during the regular semester.

Collection of learning materials is a critical part of the exam writing process. Once again this year, book returns will be done to the actual classroom teacher during their exams. This time and cost saving measure begun last year was a resounding success as we did receive back a greater percentage of learning materials.

BTW

For your planning, please find attached this week’s edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: 11_12_12 Bell this Week.doc

Have a super week!

Sincerely,
Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Musical Performances

Do you like musical theatre? Do you want to see tons of student talent? Consider purchasing tickets for Bell’s musical beginning performances this Wednesday December 7, 2011 through Saturday December 10, 2011. Mr. Van Allen and his team have been working diligently putting together a magnificent production of Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat.Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors and may be purchased through Ms. Bradley or the school office. Curtain is @ 7:30 p.m. each evening. It is sure to be a hit for everyone so please don’t miss it!

As a warm-up and in the spirit of beginning the transition of grade 8′s to grade 9, all grade 8 students from DA Moodie have been invited for a special dress rehearsal presentation this coming Tuesday December 6, 2011.

BTW

For your planning, please find attached this weeks edition of Bell this Week.

attachment: 11_12_5 Bell this Week

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Bell HS Musical

This is just a reminder that Bell High School’s musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, is being performed December 7 - 10 in the school cafetorium. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. The cast and crew continue to work diligently together under the direction of Mr. Perry Van Allen in putting together yet another memorable performance of music and dance. As is typical, the hype is building as we approach the start of the performances. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased from Ms. Bradley. Seating will fill up fast so please don’t forget to make your purchases sooner, rather than later.

Skype Opportunity for students

This past Friday Mr. Briginshaw and Mr. Ardis took advantage of an excellent learning experience in the staff lounge with students in the Civics classes. The civics curriculum is embedded with topics including government, policy, electoral practices,  civic duty and responsibility, human rights, etc. Blessed with the technological ability to do so, Mr. Briginshaw skyped in a personal friend who is currently protesting in Tahrir square. An Egyptian citizen, his friend spoke to students from his apartment where he and his family are living. It was truly an amazing experience for students who had the opportunity to speak with someone directly in the heart of the conflict in Egypt and ask their questions around where things are at now and where this gentleman felt they were going. The students were engaged and very interested in this opportunity and hats off to Mr. Briginshaw for arranging this opportunity as well as Mr. Ardis for taking advantage on behalf of his students as well.

Bell This Week

For your planning, please find attached this weeks edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: 11_11_28 Bell ths Week

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Yesterday @ Bell HS Eva Olsson adressed all students in the school during a morning assembly. Eva is a holocaust survivor and brought her powerful story to Bell HS sharing intimate details of her struggles as a youth in growing up in concentration camps. Her experiences mirror Bell’s PRIDE message (perseverance, respect, integrity, diversity, and excellence) and take it one step further.

Many thanks are extended to our community partner in education, Imam Zijad Delic who graciously introduced and thanked Ms. Olsson for her courage in sharing her story with our students, our leaders of tomorrow. As Dr. Delic stated, “Eva has left us all with something to think about in terms of acceptance of one another.”

Please find attached this weeks edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: 11_11_21 Bell this Week

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal

Hello,

Mid-term Report Cards

Report cards will be issued to students this Friday November 18, 2011 at the end of the day. As your children arrive home please request to see the document and review its contents.  As mentioned in last weeks blog, the format of the report card has changed across the Province. The marks on this report card are based upon evaluations up to and including November 7, 2011 which was the half-way point in the semester. With just five weeks remaining until Christmas, there remain just 8 weeks to the end of the semester.

Math Help Room

Need help in mathematics during the day while at school? A math help room is currently available Tuesday’s and Thursday’s at lunch.  It has been running since Tuesday, October 25.  The room is consistently busy with a variety of students across grade levels and provided by the entire mathematics department! This is a great opportunity for students to ask questions and have concepts clarified. Where you feel there is a need, please be sure to encourage your children to attend this wonderful opportunity. 

For more information including goals, please see the attachment below.

attachment: Math Help Room 2011

Parent Information Evening

Jeff Hemstreet capably leads the Student Services department @ Bell HS. He sends the following for your consideration:

I am the Head of Student Services at Bell HS and I would like to extend an invitation to your staff and parents to join us at Bell High School on November 23rd at 7 PM.  The Ottawa Police have put together a presentation that deals with students and social media – things that parents/ staff may or may not realize.  This should prove to be a very interesting evening.  I hope that you are able to join us. 

Please see the attached flyer for visual information.

attachment: Students Online Poster.Nov7.2011

 BTW

 For your planning, please find attached this weeks edition of Bell This Week.

attachment: 11_11_14 Bell this Week

Have a super week!

Sincerely,

Bruce Whitehead – Principal